Sister of bicyclist killed hopes for apology, justice

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida -- It's the most important lesson Kris Jones' family has learned since she passed away in April.

"Don't be mean to one another because you never know when your last moment's going to be or when your loved one is going to be taken," said Jones' sister, Kimberly Tassinari. "I just miss being able to pick up the phone and call her."

Jones was riding her bike along the 5200 block of 1st Avenue S. Tassinari said her sister was headed to an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. As she pedaled in the bike lane, St. Petersburg police believe Mathew Cook was driving twice the speed limit with his 3-year-old daughter in the backseat. Police say when he drove into the bike lane and struck Jones, she died instantly.

After the crash, Cook apparently tested positive for six different drugs, including oxycodone and cocaine.

"She would never hurt anybody, so to have her killed that way makes her death and her being taken away from our family even worse," said Tassinari. "He made a conscious choice to get behind the wheel and drive."

A ghost bike sits by the area where Jones was killed. A plaque is attached to the bike that reads, "Rest in peace, Kris." Fellow bicyclists in St. Pete want to make sure she's remembered.

"It did my heart good. It really was awesome," Tassinari said as she recalled her first time seeing the memorial. "It was very sad, it made me cry, but it also made me very happy because Kris would have thought it was very cool."

"I know it wasn't an intention of [Cook's] to get behind the wheel of a car and hurt somebody, but I think there has to be consequences to that choice," Tassinari added. "I'm never going to see her again. Because of that stupid choice, he hit and killed somebody, and I think you've got to pay for that, so I'd be happy with 10-12 years [behind bars]."